Everything you need to learn about perennials

Gardeners are anxiously awaiting spring and nice weather so they can work outside. They’re also apparently waiting on the Annual Central Ohio Perennial School information! We have had several calls to our office wondering if registration is open, and I am happy to say that you can now register for this event.

The Perennial School will be held on March 2, 2017, at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center in downtown Springfield from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

We have another great lineup of speakers again this year and I will guarantee a few laughs during the day as well as a day full of plants.

Our feature speaker for the day is Amanda Thomsen from Chicago. Amanda is the author of “Kiss My Aster” and co-author of “Grocery Gardening.”

Her first presentation is called 150 Ways to Create a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You. She takes you through a bunch of ideas on how to spruce up your landscape and garden that are guaranteed to inspire. If you don’t chuckle during this presentation, you don’t have a sense of humor.

I was on the program with Amanda in Van Wert, Ohio, last April and drove all the way home smiling about her presentation. She was really good.

She will also share with you in another presentation her 50 Favorite Plants. She says some are familiar and most are weird.

We will also have Amanda’s book for sale and you can have her sign it.

Chuck Gleaves, the Director of Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield, Ohio, will be talking about Plants with a Presence and Memorable Plant Presentations.

Chuck says he is a botanist by training, a gardener by passion, and a plant nerd by appellation.

I will end the day talking about some of the most common pest problems in perennials gardens and also about how to manage them. One of the newest problems to hit coneflowers in our area is the head-clipping weevil. Learn more about this particular pest and others.

The cost for the day is $70 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. The Master Gardener Volunteers will also be on hand selling garden items and books.

The registration deadline is Feb. 20, and I encourage you to register early as we have sold out in the past. This is our most popular educational program.

You can register with a credit card online by going to go.osu.edu/2017perennialschool.

If you want to send a check, go to go.osu.edu/letsgarden and click on the event. You can print the brochure and registration form and mail.

Join us on this jam-packed day of nothing but plants and plant people — I hope to see you there.

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